1 . WHAT ARE RIP CURRENTS?
Rip currents are like the rivers of the sea, transporting water near the shore back out into the ocean depths. The presence of these currents can be hidden by the wild movements of the surrounding waves. This means that as well as carrying seaweed and pieces of materials quickly out to sea, they can rapidly sweep away even the strongest swimmers. Around 80 percent of all lifeguard rescues are caused by powerful rip currents pulling a swimmer into danger.
If you find yourself being pulled out to sea by an unsuspected rip current, you should remain calm, focus on staying afloat and, if you can, swim parallel to the shore. Your instincts might tell you to swim towards land, as this is where you’re aiming to get to, but the current will be too strong to swim against. Instead, aim to move across the current and into slower flowing water next to it. A rip current may only pull you just past the breaking waves, but in some cases they can take you hundreds of metres offshore. The strength of currents can be hard to predict, so it’s safest to stay on lifeguarded beaches and not to swim if you see any indication of a rip current.
| A．prevent you from swimming into danger | B．transport water out into the ocean depths |
| C．clear away seaweed and pieces of materials | D．warn lifeguards against rescue in rip currents |
| A．difference between various currents | B．two types of zones off shore |
| C．an ideal route to surf in safety | D．how rip currents form |
| A．1000 metres off the shore beyond “HEAD”. | B．The channel through the gap in a sandbar. |
| C．The location where a red flag is erected. | D．Over the narrow stretch of a sandbar. |
